Need help -- Gen 1 overheating issues

Black_Sunshine

Black_Sunshine

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Guys,

I have a 2000 Gen 1. The hydraulic fan was replaced in November with a 3,000 CFM electric fan (cant remember the brand name.)

When it got warm in April, the car started overheating again. I found that the only way to keep the car cool was to either be moving at highway speeds, or to have the heater on full blast.

I thought that the 3,000 CFM fan might not be enough for summer heat, so I just swapped it out with the 2003-2004 electric fan that Ford went with (see Oddball's electric fan conversion.) This fan blows about double or triple the air that the other fan blows, although I can't find the CFM rating.

Long-story-short -- The car still overheats. I did today find that the plastic cap for antifreeze refill had a very slight bubble leak, but I epoxy-ed that and now its sealed, but still overheats.

At the moment, I am at a loss. Not sure what I should check next. The car runs fine for the first 15-20 minutes, then it jumps to 3/4-hot, then it jumps to all the way hot with a temperature light. Then it boils over. The radiator is clear of debris for the most part. Any suggestions??? Thanks!
 
Air in system. Plastics are deteriorating. Rebuild time.

:: Search
 
There are many threads on this. This is perhaps the most common problem with these cars. It's not if, but when.

There are a few good complete write ups but long story short, replace every plastic component of the cooling system now because 100% guarantee if you change only one or two, the other old parts will fail. I learned this the hard way, spend the money on new parts and change them all at once. It is not doing difficult but far from fun. Make sure you bleed all the air out of the system, you must follow the directions exactly. Good luck
 
JAG Aluminum upgraded cheaper Thermostat housing and don't by the Dorman Degas bottle.
All new OEM plastic cooling system parts. "epoxy-ed" is not the way to go. Won't last, won't work.
Whole thing needs to be replaced with fresh parts, needs to be bled correctly and completely.
 
Is the JAG aluminum thermostat housing for the 1st Gen V8 only, none for the 2nd Gen V8's?


RigsLS said:
JAG Aluminum upgraded cheaper Thermostat housing and don't by the Dorman Degas bottle.
All new OEM plastic cooling system parts. "epoxy-ed" is not the way to go. Won't last, won't work.
Whole thing needs to be replaced with fresh parts, needs to be bled correctly and completely.
Click to expand...
 
I am about 99% sure that my phantom overheat issue is a stuck thermostat that I just cant get the Stealership to warranty (no codes). It behaves just like you say. One way you can check is get an OBDII unit to connect to Torque Lite on your phone and you can actually see the Tstat 'open' - the temp move up slows down and stabilizes at about 190 to 200. It then should finally rest around 206 if like mine.

Having said that though, Refreshing the whole system is a must. The new aluminum housing with a nice Stant superstat would solve that if its your case. I did it all on my gen 1. Its a little easier and cheaper than the 2's.
 
Update: I found that I was a little low on coolant, and that I still had a little air in the system. I topped off with coolant, and did the air bleed procedure from scratch. At the moment, the car is running well, and staying perfectly below the halfway indicator on temperature.

I did know about plastic part failure. I guess I need to do that too. I know the previous owner replaced the degauss bottle and cap, but that leaves all the other plastic parts.

Note: At the moment, all the plastic parts "appear" to be in good shape. I can't find any cracks or discolorations that I can see. I know its a guaranteed problem, but so far they don't look bad yet.

I do know the car was garage kept for the last 8 years of its 17 year life. I wonder if that has helped in regard to the plastic parts. Is there a common mileage when the parts start crapping out? I have 132k miles.
 
The actual degas bottle and all three front plastic coolant parts are a MUST. I'm right where you are but I know I need to do all that. RigsLS is on point.
I was going to try to JB mine for a week or two but now I'm just going to save my hope and use my better judgment and order it.
 
For what it's worth, my parts looked fine too when they failed. They fail from the inside out. They become incredibly brittle and will fail at the worst possible time. If you're low on coolant, it could mean a small pinhole leak somewhere. Not saying it is, just keep an eye on the level. My car was fine until one night the temp shot up and it went into protection mode. I pulled over and looked at everything, let the car cool off and it was fine for a few more weeks. Around February the thermostat housing shattered inside, not a fun time to do this repair lol.

16.jpg
 
SeaPro -- Thanks for showing the picture and for the heads-up.

I just got my LS back together, and I loathe the idea of taking it apart again. But I do need to, I know it. My wife won't be happy when she sees the hood up again. LOL.

ShortCitcuitLS -- I checked my engine fill cap just now. It still looks sealed, but the epoxy has discolored from the heat. I am ordering a replacement tonight to cover that base. I am going to start pricing the plastic replacement parts.

Are these parts only available as plastic?
 
Don't know if I inserted the quote correctly. But
Black_sunshine for a 00 you do have the option for an aluminium t stat housing. But I CAN'T vouch for its reliability over time. I've never tried anything other than the OEM plastic parts. There's a through write up in the top of the forum about coolant,coils, bushings. But it clearly lists all components, part #s and photos. Its worth every penny to do this while your already down due to it over heating.
 
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